


Labyrinthos Estate

by RedWritingWitch



Series: Labyrinthos Estate [1]
Category: Bloodsucking Bastards (2015)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:40:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedWritingWitch/pseuds/RedWritingWitch
Summary: As the owner of the large and well established Labyrinthos Estate, you oversee and run many events at the estate that has been in your family for generations. But the estate isn’t just a means for financial stability, it is also a center of cultivated magic. And as a hereditary witch you aim to keep you sacred home safe and prosperous. But things start to go a little unstable and yet interesting when one particular bloodsucking bastard visits the estate and starts taking a liking to you.
Relationships: Max Phillips & Reader, Max Phillips/Reader
Series: Labyrinthos Estate [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063484
Kudos: 9





	Labyrinthos Estate

**Author's Note:**

> This is the song being hummed by the reader: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7QzxYAjgNc

Satin rose petals and dried strawberries danced together in boiling moon water upon the stove. Steam rose into the air as burning bubbles tickled the water’s surface. Stirring the mixture around with a worn wooden spoon, the rose petals and strawberries danced under your concentrated gaze; swirling and twirling to your melodic humming in a constant hypnotizing dance. While you walked away from the stove, the spoon continued to instruct the dancing fruit and flowers to remain in their state of tango. Forming a circle in the air with your pointer finger, the spoon stirred without the contact of its owner’s hand. 

Humming along to yourself, you spun your way across the kitchen to your ingredient cabinet. Searching over the jars all labeled and stacked within the shelves, your finger slowly caressed the ingredients you had taken so much time to grow, harvest, and gather. Your finger traveled past lavender, mugwort, basil, and other ingredients until you finally found ginger, honey, and lemon. You weaved yourself through the kitchen and returned to flick the stove off. Adding the ginger and removing the mixture from the heat, you set it aside, letting the colors fade from the strawberries and roses. Next to your kitchen was a large pantry where you stored food, that grew in your small garden, along with a small collection of jars and containers. You eyed the usual mason jars, clicked your nails upon the jars with small necks and enlarged bases, smoothed over the bottles with delicate crystal patterns embedded into them, and wondered at the shimmer of the multicolor bottles. But finally, you settled upon a tall and slim bottle, one that would be easy to carry for someone in a rush and on the go. Nothing to flashy or to unusual, it was just supposed to hold a simple love potion after all.

Gliding back into the kitchen to rinse dust from the bottle, you glanced over to see the pink of the roses and red of the strawberries seeping out into the now dyed ginger water. After draining the mix of berries and flowers, you added juice from a fresh lemon and a good dose of honey to the solution. You looked over at your grimoire, eyes running along the ingredients and incantation needed for the potion: Honey for sweetness of love and the binding of affection. Lemon for the longevity and purification of the heart. Ginger for heat in desire. Strawberries for vitality in body, mind, and soul. Roses for youthful attraction and a calming guide. 

Satisfied with the prep, you clutched at the citrine pendant around your neck. Closing your eyes and smiling to yourself, you ended your melodic humming.  
“Love potin number nine, bring romance to me and mine,” you chanted while giving the solution one last stir. You smiled as you bottled and refrigerated the potion; love potions were always easy and simple work for any witch to do. And as a hereditary witch they came to you like second nature. That was the way of the craft that was handed down to you from generation to generation, knowledge and intuition etched into your bones, sewed into your skin, and bound to your blood. As ordinary young children learned shapes, colors, and the alphabet; you learned moon cycles, botany, and alchemy. Kids learned how to ride bikes while you learned to scry into black mirrors. They read bedtime stories of farm animals, you read tarot cards. Some kids had imaginary friends, but you associated with the spirits beyond the veil. Building blocks were replaced with crystals, sandcastles were swapped out for salt circles, and collections of stickers and cards were switched to candles and jars. The craft, your witchcraft and magick that is, was so engrained into you as it was to the land you lived and worked on. 

Washing the dishes in the sink, you looked out through the window. A smile graced your face as you took in Labyrinthos Estate, the manor house and grounds that belonged to your family for centuries. The weather-stained white stone manor stood tall and aloof to the buzzing of the estate workers running about with decorations. The three-story building would have been daunting if it wasn’t for the large amount of ivy that climbed up its façade towards balconies that lined the upper floors of the manor, giving the cold stone structure a lush green glow. Large flowery bushes dotted the sides of the manor, blooming in front of large arching windows. Many more flower beds and potted plants snaked their way around the manor, skirting the sidewalks around the manor and circling around a few blossoming trees that sat on the corners of the manor. Upon the entrance of the manor was the Water Bearer, a stone lady slightly covered in moss clutching a vase with a single arm. The other was broken off, lying in the plant growth that overflowed the small fountain that the lady stood in. She was the eternal hostess of the grounds, as the staff always joked. Funny enough, they were more correct than they would ever know about this stone hostess. Even covered in grime and weathered away, the lady looked ever pleased at her abode. Late into the night her smile would grow as the fireflies whispered gracious thanks to her bounty and hospitality. Good thing the lady never saw the inside of the manor, though the outside always kept up with appearances, the inside of the manor needed some heavy-duty work. But that was a task for another day.

All around Labyrinthos, the prep staff carted off ornate flower centerpieces to the gardens. Stacks of plates, bundles of silverware, and crats of glassware followed. It pleased you that the estate was bustling with work, the Gorgon Botanic Gardens was hosting a party for a company from the city. The large garden sat next to the manor house, mirroring its lush presentation. It was a thriving and winding garden, busting with plant life and the occasional idealistic statue that resided in the soft floral corners of the garden. From beautiful water nymphs, to stoic warriors, and even the sporadic self-assured mythic monsters, many statues could be found within the fauna’s bemusing hands. Several tables and chairs were placed in the center of the garden where a spacious plaza area was being arranged. Majority of the Estates events were held in the Gorgon Botanic Gardens, an excellent venue for a casual night under the open sky in the bed of a prosperous garden. The garden, and the rest of the estate for that matter, probably would be considered a bit on the wild and unkempt side, but you always insisted it as a “very controlled overgrowth.” Keeping it just barely growing over the boundaries of the walking paths, the estate always looked alive and luminous.  
Even within the Luna Futurae Conservatory, the plant life that overwhelmed the tall, majestic glass building gave off a rich lustrous breath. Situated beyond the gardens and adjacent to the manor, was the multi domed conservatory, where unusual and exotic plants and trees grew beyond the double doors. The small angelic fountain seated in the middle of the building was the source of a few myths and legends to the Estate. Strong iron workings decorated the edges and corners of the building, presented as delicate curved vines ascending glass walls. Large paths drew their way through the plants, all scattered around an open mosaic lined area in the center of the conservatory, where more events had been held. People looking for the wild of nature but a retreat from the harsh sun and cold night would book the conservatory. Many people preferred to stand under the arching and curving windows and ceiling of the all glassed building, dancing under the rainbows reflected off the windows and skipping around the multicolored lights that were installed in the ground and paths of the conservatory. Facing the sky, the lights illuminated the plants and trees, giving the conservatory an enthralling atmosphere. 

Bewitched by your own property, you shake yourself from your thoughts and grabbed the chilled love potion from the fridge. Leaving your cottage that was nestled apart from the estate, you took the winding path to the grounds. 

The estate staff were running to and from the manor and garden, carrying extra chairs for the night’s event. Servers rehearsed the night’s menu as gardeners clipped and pruned bushes. Deep garnet colored table clothes were draped over high tables as the cleaning crew swept some of the garden paths. Glass vases of varied heights were placed at the center of the tables, filled with blush colored to crimson colored carnations engulfed in water with floating candles placed on top. Lights were being strung all throughout Gorgon Gardens, masquerading it in tent like canopy. Electricians tested the speaker system to a small stage with a wall of multicolored roses as its backdrop. Any normal person would have guessed a romantic wedding for tonight’s event, but you had laughed upon hearing it was a company dinner. A pep rally in sales seduction of sorts was how the client had described it over the phone to Lena, the estate’s event coordinator. 

Greeting your staff and receiving smiles and nods as you went by them, you snickered as a few of the newer members of the Estate staff whispered in hushed tones behind you. Many people made up stories as to how the Estate was still running so well and popular as ever. Witch was always on the tip of their tongues, but many others would say bitch. Those people would never see the truth, always basking in the gossip of jealousy while others were closer to the truth than they knew. Ghost stories of the Estate that outsiders told always circled their way around the staff. Old members of staff, who were always loyal to you and the Estate, paid no heed to gossip filled with words like witch and especially to gossip that held contempt for a bitch. They knew how your heart was rooted in the soil of the plants and cemented in the brick of the buildings. They knew your hands and knees were just as green as theirs. But they didn’t quite know that while one rumor was untrue, the other was very much true. It pleased you to hear the staff shush anyone who talked bad about you, as well as it made you giggle to hear them shush people from calling you a witch.

Glancing into the far corner of Gorgon Garden, you could see your event coordinator Lena standing with her clients. One man in a sad suit and tie combo stood next to her, looking stressed and disheveled, while the other man talked on his phone further from them. Lena had told you her contact for tonight’s client seemed like the anxious sort, always talking about pleasing his boss and not messing up the event. She had smoothed his nerves several times over the last few weeks, explaining that everything would be set to perfection. Lena caught your eye just then and motioned for you to come over, no doubt wanting the owner of the estate to give reassurance to the worried man.  
Lena introduced you with her pearl white smile that always smoothed the nerves of brides.

“I can tell you without a doubt in my mind Evan, that if there’s anyone who can fix a problem, it’s this gal right here,” Lena gestured with a smirk and a flourish to you.  
“Really? Cause this whole event needs to be perfect. I’m not the party planning type but my boss over there,” he jerked a thumb to a man speaking on his cell phone further in the corner, “made me the president of the party planning comity, so I can’t fuck this up or he’ll have my head… or rather neck.” He adjusted his tie to this remark, moving his arms just enough that you could see the pools of sweat forming on his shirt.

“Don’t worry about a thing. Appeasing bridezillas is a daily task around here, I’m sure appeasing a bosszilla is no different,” you patted his arm lightly, regretting your attempt to lighten the man’s mood as you felt sweat staining through his shoulder. 

Evan let out a nervous laugh but swallow it as he saw his boss out of the corner of his eye, “Bosszilla is right.”

Letting out a loud laugh into his cell phone, you turned and eyed the man Evan was talking about. From this angle Evan’s boss looked handsome, wearing a well fit grey suit and a pair of sleek sunglasses. His hair looked soft and finely cut to suit his smooth face. Your eyes traveled down his sharp nose and over his broad shoulders and down to the interesting bullseye tattooed on his hand. The only thing remotely displeasing about him was the smile on his face, a smile so overused in late night TV infomercials. The one that a preacher would where while preaching to some televised mega church. But there was something to him still, under that brilliant but bogus salesmen smile, there was something else. And as a stray flower petal fell and graced his shoulder, you saw a hole in that phony smile, a hole that you could happily fall into. He took a quick second to look at the stray petal before waving it softly off him, and in that second you could just make out the markings of dimples on his face, and then saw them quickly disappear as well. Cute, in his own boyish charm, you had thought of him in that split second. 

But you snapped yourself away from him finally, bringing you back to the present conversation. Your mind moved on quickly, though you still watched this man with sun-kissed skin curiously avoiding the rays of the sun, stepping precisely in the shade of a tree. Turning, as if on cue, the man looked towards your group and gave finger guns to Evan.  
“Oh, the event tonight’s going to be fantastic! Our buddy Evan is overseeing the event. I promoted him to party planner, can you believe it? Yeah, he’s a real lover of party poppers and punch bowls, I thought he was perfect for the position,” the man dripped with sarcasm on the last sentence as he talked into the phone. He turned away to talk more about the night’s theme to the other end of the phone call.

Evan spun towards you, “I hate party poppers.”

You and Lena rolled your eyes, “There are zero party poppers planned for the night’s entertainment,” Lena quickly said.

“Good but listen my boss Max will probably complain about any little detail that’s remotely off. I’ve got to get this right. To begin with, the lighting up above looks like it’s overlapping in some spots. The candles over on this table look like an off shade of white to the ones on the table over there. And the wall of roses looks like it could use more roses,” Evan shifted around the area, biting his nails, looking for any mistake possible.

Lena glared at him, she had been dealing with this mess for far too long. Taking out the receipts and past emails of their conversations, she started to retell him what they had agreed on previously. Extra flowers had already been ordered and colors changed, Evan was just looking for mistakes that just were not there. Lena, the perfectionist, was not going to let him off the hook and insult her planning and organizing abilities. 

As those two bickered back and forth, as the supposed bosszilla jabbered on the phone, and as the staff ran around preoccupied in their own tasks; you smoothed your hair back knowing exactly what to do. You breathed in the air and let one hand sway to your side as your finger waved in the air, the other twirled your pendent, and you hummed your song from earlier. 

You blew a small breath into the air. A breeze moved the lights overhead just so they no long overlapped.  
You rubbed your earlobe and wiggled your nose. Water in the table-top vases twisted and twirled the candles into fresh identical colors.  
You smirked and winked. New roses grew and crawled their way through the already busy wall.

Satisfied, you walked over to Lena and Evan, interrupting their argument, “Begone your worry and woe, calm thy mind, and let tranquility overflow.” You gave him a gentle tap at his elbow. “All is fine Evan, look around you, nothing is wrong,” you gestured to the lights, then the candles, and finally the wall of roses.  
Wide eyed, Evan looked around, “Oh, yeah you’re right, everything looks great.” He ran a hand through his hair, “I don’t know what I was going on about.” He blinked several times.  
You winked at Lena as you started to walk away, leaving her with a quieted client.

“See I told you my boss would make it all better,” Lena let out a satisfied sigh.

Even nodded at her and gave a look towards Max, “Well how does it look?”

Max was already looking towards them, or rather right at you. He had raised his sunglasses half off his eyes, training his amber orbs on your fleeting form. A quizzical look graced his face for a moment before a that wide fabricated smile was plastered on his face once again. He gasped at the stage and wall of roses as he came out of the shade towards Lena and Evan.

“Looks amazing! Exactly what I had envisioned in my head. Glad to see there’s a real solid work ethic going on here. I’ve heard of the beauty of the estate; everyone always seems to rage on about how romantic and ethereal it is here. And man, I just gotta say I can feel it,” Max stated as he clenched his fist and thrusted them towards his chest. Throwing an arm around Evan’s shoulder, giving him a rough squeeze, he continued “There’s something in the air here, you smell that Evan?”

Evan winced, “Pollen?”

Max huffed and pushed Evan away as he gave Lena an eyeroll and chuckle, “Pollen he says. Now you’re a smart girl. You got this whole sticky note and bullet journal vibe going on, what do you think is in the air?” He turned away from the stage and steped closer to Lena.

Lena leaned away from him and watched as a couple of staff members started to hang a sign over the stage: Say Salutations to the Seduction of Sales!  
“Seduction,” Lena questioned with an unimpressed exhale.

“Right on point,” Max announced pointing his finger a little too close to Lena’s chest. “This place just has top notch people, all real thoughtful and bright. Take note Evan, this is what we need in the office. Your boss must be one smart lady to have hired you. She certainly seems to be hands on sort of leader, I like to lead by example back in the office myself.” Max leaned towards Lena, placing a hand on her back, “Answer this question for me, is she the strong-willed type of leader, the shy quiet type, or maybe the type of boss that likes to go a little incognito on the job site?”

Lena shrugged, “Um well she’s great, always willing to get dirty if help is needed.”

Max’s eyes lit up “Get dirty you say.” Leading Lena out of the garden, he continued asking questions all the while blocking Evan out of any further conversation.

Walking into the Oriana and Hala Apothecary, you were greeted by the smell of lavender and roses, with the slightest bit of an old musk smell that never seemed to fade away from the old apothecary. The store was a steady source of income for the estate, located just off the manor. It was a small stone building engulfed in green ivy, mirroring the manor in appearance. Two large glass windows on the face of the store showcased many lotions, perfume, balms, teas, tonics, candles, and other bath and body care essentials. A set of slim double doors were open to wandering eyes, where deep teal walls held shelves on shelves of products. The store was filled with several hanging plants and flowers, elegant gold trim decorated the walls and ceiling as old wooden, yet polished, tables held stacks of jars containing lotions, perfumes, and tonics. Books lined an entire wall, while old vases and apothecary tools sat safely on shelves that touched the ceiling. Stain glass decorations clung to the wall with the occasional insect taxidermy. On the far side of the apothecary was one long counter for customer service, behind it was one long glass cabinet that held a variety of herbs. High above the cabinet, sat a bust of a woman with long flowing hair framing her face in a thick veil. The only clothes she wore was a crown upon her head and a pair of long earrings weighing her down. Yet her eyes were closed in a serene everlasting rest.

A few small groups of customers roamed the apothecary as you move your way to the counter. You greeted the two young cashiers, asking them where Riley and Vera, two of your most loyal and reliable employees, were at. Following their thumb jerk indicating that they were in the back room, you came upon a perplexing scene. Slumped upon an office chair, swiveling in circles, was Vera. Her feet hung off one arm of the chair while she arched her back off the other arm, letting her arms and head dangle every other way in surrender. On the other side of the room was Riley, squirting gilded liquid into small glass bottles all labeled Blush of Sun. A scent of orange and sandlewood flooded the air with each fill of a bottle. A strict look was adorn on their face as they worked their steady hand through the rows of bottles.

“It’s hurts, Riley. It just hurts,” Vera proclaimed.

“That’s what I hear,” Riley replied drily.

“It’s not even like a knife was stabbed in me. It’s more like my heart is being squeezed and suctioned apart by one of those eyedropper tools you’re using.”

“A pipette?”

“Yeah that. It’s like every time you squeeze the lotion out, my heart feels like it’s being squeezed apart.”

“I’ll start to squeeze harder then.”

“You know eventually, my heart will be so torn up from this disaster,” Vera goes on unaware of what Riley has said to her, “that I’ll no longer have a heart. It’ll just be gone Riley, just gone.” She exclaimed with her arms stretch out above her head.

“Does that mean you’ll be gone then too?” Riley paused their work.

In quiet devastation, Vera revealed “Yeah, yeah I will.”

“Thank the motherfucking goddess,” Riley smiled under their breath and continued with their work.

“Maybe a love potion would help your lamenting,” You questioned as you strolled further into the room. Waving the bottle of pink liquid at Vera, she swiveled her feet down to the ground and rolled out to you while stretching her hands to the bottle.

“Yes, gimme gimme!”

Handing her the bottle, you chuckled as you walked over to Riley’s workstation to help bottle the filled lotions. Vera chugged the potion down and swiveled in a circle with a satisfied smile plastered on her face.

“Love potion number 9, you’re sweet like wine,” She sung to bottle. 

“Why would you do that? We were just about to be free of her forever,” Riley stated at you with a hint of a smirk play on their lips. You rolled your eyes at them.

“Well hopefully that’ll help mend your broken heart Vera”

“It always does. Even when it’s broken into piece by some handsome, doe eyed, prince charming.” Vera’s eyes close as she daydreamed on, “I can still hear that husky sing song voice of his.”

“Sing song? The man was from New York, there’s no sing song in that accent,” Riley scoffed.

“It takes an experienced ear to hear it Riley!”

“Tone deaf is what they call it.”

“Whatever Riley. With this beauty on my side…” Vera shook the empty bottle at Riley, “I’m gonna get me a man.”

Riley rolled their eyes, “Gonna give us all a headache, oh wait that’s already happened.”

“Maybe I’ll go visit that new gardener, or you know, that sous chef Jaydon. He always eyes me when I walk on by and to say hi.”

“Cause his name’s Jackson not Jaydon.”

“Do you think there will be any cute guys at the party in the gardens tonight?”

“I didn’t give you that potion so you could go flirt with the customers or the staff,” you interjected. “The potion is supposed to help you fall in love with yourself, get you out of this rut you always find yourself in.”

“The rut of being single and willing to mingle.” Vera flexed up from the chair. A smile grew on her face as she sauntered over to the worktable. “Sooo any interesting news with the garden party set for tonight, Lena was tearing her hair out earlier. Does she need any help soothing some handsome unruly customers?” She arched a brow, winging it up and down.

“I’ve already handled the unruly customer; Lena has it in order now. No need to get involved Vera.”

“Oh, and I don’t know, maybe do your job instead?” Riley quickly piped up, shooing Vera out of the room.

A sad pout formed on her lips as she exited to the front of the shop, leaving you and Riley alone. 

“So now that the queen of all heartaches and wine hangovers is gone, what’s the deal with this wedding-office party fiasco? From what Lena was describing, I can’t decide if it’s a in house company wedding or an awkward school prep rally high on rose scented crack?” Riley scoffed and filled the last of the bottles.

You laughed as you cleaned up the drops of spilled lotion, “You could say it’s a step-by-step guide on how to do the office tango between work out gear and seduction. Or maybe it’s a love ballad to the dreamers of car mustaches. I can’t decide which way it’s going.”

“Whatever it is, it sounds exhausting.”

“That it is.”

“Lena will be wanting some vacation time after dealing with these clients, maybe even extra pay if Vera shows off her charm to any unfortunate soul,” Riley said as they stocked up the lotion into a box.

“Mhm,” You replied as you began to become lost in thought. The handsome boss appeared in your mind as you thoughtlessly packed up another box for restock, the appearance of his dimples replayed over and over. A desire to touch them took hold of you as you envisioned yourself drawing small circles over them. You could see your fingers running through his hair, feeling the soft texture as you listen to the smooth hum of satisfaction coming from him. The sun licking down his sweet face as you run a finger down the Adam’s apple, slowing making your way down and down…

Stop. Whoa. No.

That is not how you are supposed to think about a client. Oh no. Yes, that man has nice hair, but you weren’t running a single finger through it any time soon. Nor were you touching any dimples on that beautiful face. Nope. And the hum of his smooth voice reaching your ears? The only sound you heard from him was a loud obnoxious laugh. You didn’t need to be thinking this way about anyone, you had too much work to do around the estate. You’re way too busy to dream of the lovely skin of that man…that bronzed skin… of a man that so delicately stepped in the shade of trees…and avoided the sun?

Maybe he was just a weirdo. Maybe you’re a weirdo for noticing how he walked. 

You blinked yourself out of your own trance and returned to the conversation with Riley, who was ranting away about annoying customers. The two of you grabbed boxes of restock and exited to the front of the apothecary. Walking to a display near the window to begin pulling out lotion bottles, your eyes caught Lena escorting Max to his car, with Evan trailing behind them to his own. Walking and ducking under the shade of trees, they made their way around. Lena soon departed from Max at the parking lot, a look of exhaustion and pleasure to be rid of him graced her face. She walked back to the manor house under the warm rays of the sun as Max walked the final steps to his car under the same rays. There was a grimace to his face as he adjusted his sunglasses and jacket. While giving a quick order to Evan, Max looked towards the apothecary, where you stood working and watching. 

As you watched Evan walk off, you also noticed Max still staring in your direction. You stared back, wondering what he was looking at. Slowing Max lifted the shades from his eyes and seemed to stare right at you, making perfect eye contact while on the far opposite side of the parking lot. He gave a slight teasing wave towards you with small grin settling on his face. You stopped your work and looked around the parking lot and glanced about the store. No one seems to pay him any attention, so he had to be waving at you, but how could he see you so well in the store from that far away? You glared at him with your eyebrow raised. He grinned even wider as he settled his sunglasses back down and stepped into his car to drive away. You watched him go, still paused in you work.  
Yeah, you know what, he’s a weirdo for sure.

As night finally arrived at the Estate, decorative lights illuminated Gorgon Botanic Gardens in a sparkling veil that softened the night’s blanket of darkness. Music filled the air, mingling with laughter and chatter. Servers traveled to and from the kitchen in the manor house to the party with trays full of tiny appetizers of shrimp cocktail shooters, deviled eggs topped with bacon bits, spinach and mozzarella balls, and fruit skewers filled with strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. An open bar was also staged in the garden with a steady flow of guests lining up. 

Passing the gardens, you saw Lena tapping the DJ’s shoulder, queuing him to end the current song and begin playing I Was Made for Loving You by Kiss. As the bass of the song rang out to the crowd, lights flashed to the stage as small fog machines clouded the lower half of it. The lyrics of the song picked up just as Max made his entrance, waving his hands and grinning to the weirdly overhyped crowd. You could see him mouthing “Love you” to several people in the crowd as the lines “In the darkness, there’s so much I want to do,” filled the air. Even as ridiculous the performance in front of you was, you had to admit Max looked good. He had changed into a tailored black suit paired with matching vest and a crimson red tie. Glancing about the faces of the guests who had their eyes glued to Max’s commanding figure, everyone seemed happy and enthused by the odd company pep rally going on, all except Evan who sulked in the corner. You chuckled to yourself at the sight, everyone looked engaged and all seemed to be going extremely well, even if the display in front of you was odd.

Max raised and lowered his hands, beckoning for the crowd to gently quiet down as he took the mic.

“Folks let’s take a moment and look at ourselves, look at where we’re at, and where we’re going. We’re here sitting under the twinkling lights on this dark night, surrounded by and smothered by the fauna of not only love but seduction. There’s a floral persuasion swiftly making its way through the air. Smell that? That’s desire. Desire for what? Love? Companionship? Dreams? Money? Sales?” Max pointed out to the crowd as everyone seemed to smile and nod their heads. “My friends, let’s talk about our hopes, our dreams. What do you want in life? Do you want to waste away your time waiting around for you dreams to find you? Or do you want to go out, hunt for that tasty dream of yours and suck every delicious drop out of it. Living life to its fullest, no? We’re all hungry for something.” His smirk widened as he plucked a single rose out of the wall behind him. Twirling it in his fingers, he continued, “Hunger. Desire. Dreams. That’s what we sell. That’s what we all want. But how? How do we get it? How do we sell it? I can show you. Should I show you?” Max wiggled his eyebrows toward the crowd as people chuckled at his antics. “Let me seduce you tonight. Let’s bite down and plunge our teeth into the art of seduction. We’re going to have some fun tonight people. The possibilities are endless! Who knows maybe we’ll fall in love tonight, maybe even I’ll fall in love tonight?”

He flicked the rose out to the crowd, continuing with his speech. You walked away from the party, no longer able to listen to the bizarreness of it all. You had made a life into selling dreams and hopes yourself; Labyrinthos Estate was a go to venue for many weddings in the area, the apothecary sold bottles of lotions or perfumes that promised the wearer such things as luck, love, and prosperity, and many of the staff loved in sharing the myth of the Conservatory, in that the small fountain in the middle of the glass dome held magic that would grant you a drop of intuition for your future endeavors. There was always a steady flow of customers, lovers, and gazers coming to the estate. Some were loyal customers grabbing their normal dosage of tonics for their beauty routines. Lovers strolled through the pathways, daydreaming of their perfect night together in union. And there was always the occasional wisher, gently skimming their hand in the fountain of the Luna Futurae Conservatory, sighing their starry eyes open to the soothing ripples of their swimming wishes.  
You weren’t a stranger to the art of selling dreams and wishes, but by no means were you a charlatan in disguise. Stepping further away from the gardens, to only hear the muffle of music, you made your usual rounds in the estate, confident in your own well-crafted dealings of visions and aspirations of your flowered and ivy encased bizarre. There was no need to suck out the essence of lovers when you could easily cultivate its radiating growth.

It was further into the night; the party was slowly winding down and soon enough people would be going home. The servers and cleanup crew waited anxiously for the guests to leave so they could clean up the party and finally go home themselves. Like any other night where an event was happening, you always stayed up with the rest of the staff to help with the cleanup, this time was no different. You currently waited in the conservatory for the party to be over, strolling through the paths. Taking in the exotic plants that flourished under the glass dome; green, blue, and purple colored light illuminated the flowers and trees around you. During the day, the glass reflected down rainbows onto the fauna; but at night, lights shot up to the treetops, veiling it in a soft stain glass blanket. 

You always enjoyed walking the estate at night. It was probably your favorite time to view and take in the magic of it all... and that included the true magick. On your night walks around the estate, you would see the statues stretch out their stiff limbs and yawn the dust and grime away. The ivy would curl and twist their vines as bugs tickled their leaves. And if you were lucky you might be able to catch the occasionally shy ghost running through the gardens, scattering flower petals. With a few party guests still crowding the garden, soft chatter filled the air, the magick of the grounds was quiet yet tonight, waiting for the strangers to disperse. You always dutifully waited for that time of night, yet now you were basking in the gentle quiet of the estate. Until…

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re the owner of the estate, or should I call you the lady of the estate?”

You paused your stride and looked off in the direction of the voice that was breaking your nightly meditation. Taking confident yet leisurely steps towards you, Max eyed you up and down while a smirk skimmed his face slowly. 

“Well, that’s not what I would call myself, but yes I’m the owner,” You said while your curious eyes graced his figure as well. Giving him your name, you continued, “I saw the start of your speech earlier, it was quite…interesting. I hope everything went smoothly tonight and everything was to your liking.” You gave him a pleasant yet common smile that you normal saved for customers.

Max perked up, “You liked my speech? I always love giving the office a good morale boost before digging in for a big week of sales. It always gives them a good pep to their step that their droll lives need.” He squinted at you, trying to make out some sort of sign in your eye, and then quickly threw on that salesman smile, extending a hand to you, “Max Phillips by the way, I don’t believe we got to meet earlier.”

You watched as his hand engulfed yours completely in a firm strong shake. His deep mahogany eyes refused to leave yours. You felt a draw to the handsome man in front of you as the skin on skin contact of your hands lingered. A sly smile and twinkle in his eyes shone on his face just as your free hand came to grasp at the pendent around your neck. Blinking away the attraction and facing away from the enigmatic man, you missed the look perplexation that graced his face and then quickly morphed into an eager face as he stepped to your side again. Before placing his hands in his pockets, Max gestured to the path ahead of you, continuing your walk with Max matching your pace.  
“You know, this is quite an amazing place. You could be pulling off at least three different events a night if your fully booked. Maybe four events if you turned that field over there into another building, five if you cleared back some of those trees.”

“The parking lot is small, we really can’t hold more than one event at a time,” You said matter-of-factly.

“Right. Well, the garden is huge, and it really doesn’t need to be that huge. Chop some of the shrubs back–”

“I would rather not touch the garden. It’s been the same for generations now and I would never imagine changing it in any way,” You interrupted him.  
“Of course! Don’t fix what isn’t broken, I get it. Just thinking on how you can capitalize on this place some more.”

“I think you can leave the business of my estate to me, thank you.”

“Fair. We don’t need to talk about work. There are plenty of other things we could talk about,” He eyed you up and down again. “It has been such a wonderful night, and this is such a beautiful walk, it would be such a shame to just talk business with something as exquisite as you.” You swore you saw, just out of the corner of your eye, Max swipe over his teeth with his tongue.

You laughed, wearily, “That’s quite an unexpected thing to say, but thanks.”

Stepping closer to your side, “If you heard my speech from earlier, you know that I’m not one to wait around. Why wait and daydream for what you want when you can just run up and sink your teeth in it headfirst.” He threw an arm around your shoulders just then, bringing you in tighter.

From under his arm, you could smell his cologne. Suddenly intoxicated by the fine smell of tobacco and vanilla, you leaned into him. Abruptly but subtilty another smell came to you, one that was well hidden but lingered heavier on Max. You smelled incense and…blood? A minuscule smell of twisting iron and chrysanthemums lingered in your nose as your hand instinctually came to you pendent again. Under the tight hold of Max, you stiffened and scanned the garden around you as the hair on the back of your neck raised.

“Vines below, say hello, make him let go,” You muttered under your breath and flared you nose.

“Oh, sweet cheeks I’m not letting you go, we’re just getting this night staaarted –,” 

Max’s smirk fell off his face just as he tripped. He quickly looked at the ground behind him to see a gathering of vines had tangled themselves around one of his ankles. Confused and looking back and forth from the vines to you, he sat up and started to detangle himself.

Freed from his grasp, you stepped away from Max, calming your heart after smelling the crimson liquid off his person. “You should be careful were you tread Mr. Phillips. The plants around here tend to overgrow the paths quicker than the others. Easy to lose your footing,” you turned to face him with a smile on your face.

“I’m not someone who just loses their footing like that,” Max retorted with a pout of his face. You felt almost bad for him with his face scrunched up, almost you repeat to yourself. Aggravated from being unable to detangle the vines, he gathered up all the vines, grasping the thick plants as if they were a thick rope and ripped them apart. Freed from the tangle, he jumped up and dusted himself off, grumbling unpleasantries under his breathe. Your scoffed at him and turned to continue your walk, thinking maybe he’ll give up and go away. Yet Max was quickly at your side with a crocked grin but also putting a few inches of space between the two of you.

“I swear I’m normally much more graceful than that. I don’t think I’ve tripped like that in several years, its odd.” He stared at you out from the corner of his eye.

“Well just watch where you’re walking, and you’ll be fine.”

“It’s hard to watch where I’m going when I’m too busy watching you.”

Ignoring his flirt, you countered, “Guess you’re just going to have to get use to falling then. Clumsy like the rest of us.”

“Clumsy…” Max snickered under his breath. He studied you harder now. “Now I would never describe myself as clumsy. But –” Your foot suddenly hit something in front of you and you begin to trip over yourself. Bracing your arms up for impact, you were suddenly snatched up from around your waist and flipped over, facing the grinning face of Max as he easily held you up in a dipped position. One arm held you around you back as he leaned over you. “Agile, quick, strong, athletic, handsome. I’ve been called all of those.” He brought his other hand over to settle on your waist. “How should I describe you though?” His face went serious for a second. “I could easily describe you as beautiful. Stunning. Feisty.” He quirked a brow up at the last part. “But there’s something else to you isn’t there?” He leaned in even closer to you.

You looked straight into his eyes then, swearing you saw a gleam of sickening yellow to their deep brown. Not to let the look of shock stay on your face for too long, you composed yourself with a mischievous smile and pressed your hands firmly on his chest. You weren’t entirely sure who this man was, but you had an idea on how to deal with him.

“Beautiful? Yes. Stunning? Of course. Feisty? Well, you’re about to find out.”

Max’s grin faltered a little before he chuckled as you began to run your fingers higher up his neck and hair. You gave him a matching grin to his own.

“Well, this night just got better,” he leaned his face down to yours.

“It did...for me.” Scraping your nails through his soft hair and long neck, you whispered, “Scratch that itch, you have a bit a twitch…”

As the words left your mouth, Max twitched his neck ever so slightly. He gave you a confused look and didn’t move a single muscle until suddenly dropping you to the ground. Braced for the rough landing, you smiled bigger as you watched Max claw at his own skin around his neck, upper chest, and hair. You took the opportunity to stand up and brush yourself off, watching as Max finally kept his hands to himself. His face was scrunched up as he clawed small marks into his own cheeks, all the while letting that sickening eye in his eyes return, only this time its full absorbed the amber brown you were slowing becoming infatuated with earlier. You took several steps back from him then, getting closer to the Conservatory’s doors. Your intuition yelled at you to run, but you stayed where you were just a split second more, unable to deny the allure of tempting fate. There was a tiny nugget of guilt and compassion within you as you saw the once well-groomed man now turn into a disheveled mess. Even behind those yellowed eyes, there was almost a cute, puppy dog look to him. You sighed at your own weak heart. This time, you decided to give him mercy, just this time.

“…Don’t touch this witch,” you said under your breath with a raised eyebrow. Slowly Max stopped clawing at himself, red marks appearing and slowly disappearing on his skin. He faced you with a look of complete disbelief. Still giving light scratches to his jaw, he leaned a bit away from you. 

“The hell,” he said giving his ear another scratch. 

You smiled a genuine smile to him, bemused at the poor man’s attention, “Well I think that’s enough for one night, the party seems to be over, so I think I’ll take my leave. Thanks for accompanying me on this walk, but you should probably start heading home. Stay to long here the bugs start to really come out.” You turned and walked right out the doors of the Conservatory.

Alone to give himself another scratch to his nose, Max stared at your swaying hips as you walk away. Slowly twitching to the fleeting feeling of an itch, he started his own walk back to his car, weary of the fauna all around him. Smoothing his hair down and pressing his suit down in all the right places, Max gave another glace to you before entering his car. From the moment he stepped on this property to inspect and criticize Evan’s party planning abilities, he had smelled something incredible different in the air. Nothing he had smelled before. Some mix of lavender and jasmine with the hint of smoke, like the start of a spark but not that of a continual fire. 

Max leaned against his car, studying from afar. He couldn’t make up his mind on what just happened. Normally a self-assured man like himself was in full control of the situation, in full knowledge of what was going on. But he was at a loss, dumbfounded by the tingle he felt while at the estate and even more so at the delicious smell that came off you. Max had come to the estate for a simple office party, one to ramp up enthusiasm in the dull and boring lives of the humans working for him. The party was a success in growing their “desire” to make more sales, but tonight Max found a new desire brewing within himself. Bemused by his newfound hunt, Max took off in his car, and started planning his next visit to the Labyrinthos Estate.


End file.
